Sailors girls track finishes 5th

Steamboat track and field coach Andy Reust was "shocked" when he received the final results and saw that the Sailor girls finished fifth at the Hotchkiss Invitational on Saturday.

There were 26 teams in the girls field, including many of the top teams in the Western half of the state, so the 51 points scored came as a bit of a surprise.

"I felt we did more wrong than right," Reust said. "We were pretty lethargic. It was really windy and cloudy most of the day. We've never run in wind like that, that I can remember. I think we run well in cold or when it's hot, but the wind is something we don't experience a lot."

Sophomore Jessica Peters took first in the 400 meters with a time of 61.74 seconds. She also took second in the 200 meters with a 26.99.

Junior Kayla Kostur cleared 4 feet, 10 inches in the high jump, which was good enough for third. She took sixth in the triple jump with a jump of 32-1.

Teammate Missy Chotvacs, a sophomore, finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 32-9.

Freshman Patricia Henderson took fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.4. Against a similar field in the season's first meet, Henderson failed to make the finals, so Reust said the progress she's making is evident. Henderson also took sixth in the 200 in 27.77

Sophomore Tara King captured fifth in the 800 meters with a 2:40, and Reust expects her time to continue to drop each time she runs the race.

"This was a tough field," he said. "She's learning how to run it still, but she'll be there at the end."

Steamboat's 400-meter relay team of Chotvacs, sophomore Hannah Bowers, senior Hannah Gary and Henderson took sixth with a 55.51 after a bad baton exchange.

The Sailors' sprint medley team was disqualified after attempting an exchange outside the given zone.

Many of the girls who helped score points for the Sailors on Saturday have taken part in all three of the season's track meets -- one in Grand Junction and two in Delta County -- so extensive travel time may have played a role in the lower times, as well.

"The last two have been long trips, but I think in the long run it will benefit us when we go to regionals (in Grand Junction), and they'll know what we have to do," Reust said.

The Steamboat boys failed to score points, but there were a couple of highlights for the team.

Senior Matt Legrice ran a 2:13 in the 800, dropping 11 seconds off his previous best time of the season.

In addition, the quartet of Travis Hodo, Alex Centner, Tucker Campbell and Austin Madsen teamed up to take fourth in the Weight Man's Relay, a 400-meter relay event staged for those participants that throw the shot put and/or discus.

The Weight Man's Relay is only staged at two or three meets a year, and 17 schools entered a team in Hotchkiss. The boys will receive a ribbon for placing in the event.